Private Equity Case Study: Enhancing Workforce Analysis Efficiency in Due Diligence

In a recent high-stakes engagement, a private equity team specializing in operational due diligence leveraged Aura's workforce analytics platform to refine their processes and enhance the precision of their insights. Tasked with assessing the operational efficiency of a prospective investment, the team focused on critical metrics such as headcount benchmarking and organizational integration. 

Challenges

The primary challenge was obtaining accurate, granular data to identify operational improvement opportunities within the target company. Traditional data collection methods—manual web scraping and third-party reports—proved inefficient and prone to inaccuracies, introducing unacceptable levels of risk. The team needed a robust, real-time data solution with reliable workforce intelligence to support strategic decision-making.

Recognizing the limitations of conventional approaches, the team sought a solution that could streamline data acquisition and provide higher precision and depth in their analysis.

Solution

Aura’s workforce analytics platform offered the comprehensive solution required. With access to over 1 billion data points across various industries and regions, Aura enabled the team to conduct detailed, data-driven analyses, including headcount benchmarking, regional labor analysis, and organizational integration assessments. One team member noted the platform's value: "Aura is a core part of our toolkit. It's crucial for us to understand headcount levels versus peers across every part of the organization."

Key Insights

Headcount Benchmarking: The team used Aura to conduct thorough headcount benchmarking, focusing on functional areas such as finance and product management. By analyzing ratios—such as the number of product managers to engineers and salespeople to sales operations—they gained valuable insights into the target company’s workforce structure and efficiency.

Organizational Integration: Aura’s data allowed the team to assess the level of integration within the target company by examining the distribution of key functions across subsidiaries. One team member observed, "If finance for a major corporation is spread across multiple subsidiaries, it likely indicates that the organization is less integrated than optimal."

Regional Labor Analysis: The team also used Aura to examine the regional labor market's talent distribution, identifying opportunities to optimize labor costs by analyzing where low-cost talent was effectively leveraged and where improvements could be made.

Results

Adopting Aura’s platform significantly improved the team’s ability to deliver high-quality, data-backed insights within tight deadlines. The platform’s real-time data reduced the time previously spent on data collection, enabling the team to focus more on in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations.

Additionally, Aura's flexibility—allowing direct access to raw data—empowered the team to tailor their analyses to meet the specific demands of the engagement. This capability generated actionable insights reinforcing the private equity firm's investment thesis.

Enhance Analytical Rigor and Speed

This case study highlights Aura's workforce analytics platform's vital role in private equity teams' operational due diligence process. By providing comprehensive, real-time data, Aura enhances analytical rigor, mitigates the risks associated with data inaccuracies, and supports the delivery of more precise and actionable recommendations.

The success of this engagement underscores the importance of integrating advanced analytics platforms like Aura into due diligence workflows, particularly in scenarios where workforce efficiency and organizational structure are critical to investment outcomes.

Unlock the Full Potential of Your Due Diligence Process

Ready to elevate your operational due diligence with cutting-edge workforce analytics? Aura’s platform provides near real-time, accurate data to make confident investment decisions. Experience the power of Aura's comprehensive analytics tools and see how they can streamline your processes, reduce risk, and enhance the precision of your insights.

Start your free trial today and discover why leading private equity teams trust Aura to drive their most critical investment decisions. Don’t miss the opportunity to transform your approach to due diligence.